The DC movie Wonder Twins has been scrapped by HBO Max.
The film, which was set to star Riverdale’s KJ Apa and 1883’s Isabel May, was set to start filming this summer, Variety (opens in new tab) reports (the cancellation was first reported by The Hashtag Show (opens in new tab) earlier in May). Wonder Twins was first announced to be in the works this February, and reportedly had a budget of $75 million. Adam Sztykiel was set to write and direct – he also worked on the Black Adam script.
The news comes after the Discovery and WarnerMedia merger – reportedly, new Warner Bros. CEO David Zaslav and other higher-ups are aiming to overhaul DC Entertainment, believing characters like Superman need to be revitalized, and hoping to find a creative overseer who could fulfil a role like Kevin Feige’s at Marvel.
As for why Wonder Twins has been cancelled, The Hollywood Reporter (opens in new tab) says that Warner Bros. Discovery leadership is ordering that DC movies be made for theaters first, with a source describing Wonder Twins as “too niche.” The report adds that Zaslav is also said to be looking to keep HBO Max movies at $35 million and below.
“A lot of things that were developed are going to go away,” another source told the publication.
For the moment, though, Wonder Twins is the only major change to the DCEU’s release slate. Next up is DC League of Superpets, which will be followed by Black Adam, with Shazam! Fury of the Gods arriving later this year. HBO Max movie Batgirl is also due to arrive sometime in 2022, starring In the Heights‘s Leslie Grace as the titular hero.
Further in the future, The Batman is officially getting a sequel, and projects like Wonder Woman 3 are in the works.
In the meantime, check out our guide to watching DC movies in order for the ultimate movie marathon, and see the best HBO Max prices and deals.